The Hardest Thing
by lucidximpressions
Summary: Blair/Nate/Serena. The things that come easiest to you in life turn out to be the hardest things to choose between.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

"I was thinking blue. You know, because pink is overused?" Blair Waldorf held up a powder-blue piece of card stock for Serena van der Woodsen to inspect. "But if I use this, the party name can't be PG-13."

"What about yellow?" Serena offered. She pointed at the yellow hot dog vendor sign that was propped up a few paces from where they were sitting on the steps of the Met. "It's bright and we can make the name, like, the _SUN of a Bitch _party."

"Oh my God, Serena," Blair laughed. "We're having the party at night."

"So book another ballroom that has a huge light on the ceiling that's shaped like the Sun." Serena leaned back on her elbows, tilting her face up to the cloudless azure sky and closing her eyes.

Blair put down the piece of card stock and tapped her pen against her chin thoughtfully. "It could work," she admitted.

Serena opened her eyes and beamed at her. "Great! Do you wanna go check out the function rooms at the Vine Club? I heard they were cool."

"Yeah, sure." Blair put her materials back into her emerald-green Chloe satchel and stood up, brushing off the skirt of her black-and-grey waistcoat dress which she had paired with simple black ballet flats.

Serena stood up too, slipping her oversized purple Marc Jacobs hobo bag over her bare shoulder, and slipping a pair of sunglasses onto her nose. She was wearing a completely mismatched outfit of leopard-print shorts and a pink and white polka dot strapless top, but being Serena, she pulled it off like it was the latest trend.

Blair and Serena were fifteen, and had been best friends since five, when they'd bonded over blocks in Kindergarten. Even since then, the two girls had been known throughout New York and as they grew older, their popularity only increased.

Blair Waldorf was one of those people who worked for what she wanted until she got it. She'd always been ambitious, and had always liked planning out the life ahead of her (at this age, she'd already had several different variations of how it could turn out). But every one of her plans had always included going to Yale. Blair was convinced that she had been born to go there and didn't even consider going to any other college. She was smart and had been on the Student Council team since fifth grade, even though fifth graders at Constance Billard weren't technically allowed to be on the team. If you'd never seen Blair and had just heard about all her achievments, you'd just automatically assume she was a nerd and not really worth wasting your attention on. But once you saw her, you'd regret you ever thought that.

Because Blair was (to use a word other than 'hot') _aesthetically-pleasing_, with long wavy chestnut-brown hair, a foxlike face, and wide Tiffany-box-blue eyes. She was petite and liked to dress like she was older than her age and had lately developed a liking towards red lipstick.

On the other hand, Serena van der Woodsen wasn't nearly as academically accomplished as Blair, but she certainly challenged her in the looks department. She was tall and willowy with golden skin and straight blonde hair down her back like some sort of Medieval princess. She would probably be the most beautiful girl you'd ever meet in your life, and you'd never forget her either. Serena was infectious; chirping and laughing all the time. You could be asking her what she wanted to drink and she'd launch into a retelling of her favorite childhood memory, or a speech on why bubblegum was better than chewing gum. She was random, gorgeous, and utterly fearless, which made everyone want to be near her. But even though everyone loved her, she only loved one boy.

And that boy happened to be her other best friend, who also happened to be Blair's boyfriend.

Nate Archibald. The hottest guy in New York City. He'd been best friends with the two girls since their Kindergarten days, and had been with Blair since they were thirteen years old. He was irresistable with his glittery green eyes, year-round tan, and beach-brown hair, and the fact that he was St. Jude's lacrosse captain just made him hotter. __

Everyone talked about Nate, Blair, and Serena and _everyone _was jealous of them. There wasn't a single girl who wouldn't drop anything to go out with Nate and there wasn't one boy who wouldn't jump at the chance to kiss Blair or Serena. The three of them were golden.

And everyone knows that while the golden look pretty and untroubled on the outside, they harbour a lot more feelings, scandals, and secrets on the inside. Which is _exactly_ what made the trio so impossible to ignore.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:__

It was three o'clock on Saturday afternoon and Nate Archibald was sipping from a flask of Coke spiked with vodka, courtesy of his friend Anthony Avuldsen, who constantly carried some form of alcohol in his Jansport backpack because it just made him feel cool. They were hanging out with their other friends, Jeremy Tompkinson and Charlie Dern, at Central Park, sitting beneath the shade of a large tree and watching the teenage girls who were coming and going in different variations of bikinis, T-shirts, and skirts, laying down on brightly-coloured towels to soak up some Vitamin D before going to hit the shops.

And also, of course, to subtly check out the four cute boys through their dark sunglasses.

"So Nate, how's Blair?" Jeremy asked. He was a skinny kid with curly hair and looked the youngest of the group.

Nate grinned and passed the flask to Anthony. "She's Blair," he said matter-of-factly.

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Duh. I mean, y'know. How's the _situation_?"

"I knew what you meant," Nate laughed. "It's all good. We made out yesterday night." He paused, the other guys looking at him rapt with attention. "On her bed."

"Shit." Anthony nodded approvingly and raised the flask in Nate's direction.

"When are you going to do it?" Charlie asked, momentarily looking away from them to flash a small smile at the brunette who was obviously looking at him from her towel at the opposite tree, then looking back at Nate.

"Uh. Soon?" Nate guessed, running a hand through his hair. Truth be told, he was always a tad eager to go further with Blair when they were making out, but she insisted on waiting for 'the right time'. He didn't completely understand what she meant by that but just agreed with her to keep her happy. He decided that 'the right time' would come soon enough. Blair was probably just playing hard to get, scared that he'd lose interest in her if she was too easy. But Nate knew he'd never lose interest in Blair. He loved her too much.

"Hey, look, it's Serena." Jeremy pointed at the blonde figure walking through the grass of the park, eating a large pretzel from a brown paper bag.

Nate brightened at the sight of her and cupped his hands over his mouth. "Hey, S!" he called. He watched in amusement as she spun around in surprise, before squinting in his direction and seeing him waving at her. At this, her face broke into a sunny smile and she hurried over, her step light on the warm ground.

"Hey, Natie," she cried, dropping to her knees and flinging her long, golden arms around him, dropping the pretzel in the process. "Oops!" When she let go, she sat down on the grass and smiled at the other guys. "Heyyy!"

They all tried to look cool and uttered typical boy _Sup_'s in response, but inside all of them were jumping with excitement at being in the presence of one of the two Upper East Side goddesses.

"What're you guys drinking?" Serena asked, reaching for the flask. Her top slid down a little with the movement and none of the guys made any motion to tell her. She took a big gulp from the flask and grinned wickedly. "Drinking in broad daylight. Don't any of you know that cops frequent this place?"

"We get away with it," Charlie said, obviously trying to impress her.

Serena giggled and put the flask down, the hugged her legs to her chest. "I was just with Blair. We booked a room for our party."

"Oh, yeah, the party." Anthony looked practically exuberant. "When do we get our invitations?"

"Who said you were invited?" Serena teased. Anthony mock-pouted and Serena reached over and messed up his hair. "Kidding. You get them on Monday."

"Sweet." Anthony and Jeremy slapped hands.

"Where're you having it?" Nate asked, liking the way Serena's hair shone in the sunlight.

"The Vine Club," Serena answered excitedly. "The room we booked is _huge_, I swear. It's going to look _amazing_ when we're done with it."

"I can come help decorate," Nate volunteered.

"Sure," Serena chirped. "That would be fun."

"So where's Blair now?" Jeremy spoke up, changing position so he was lying on his stomach instead of sitting cross-legged.

"She went to get a pedicure." Serena shrugged her tan, thin shoulders. "She said that she'd call _you_ later." She pointed at Nate.

"How about you, Serena? When are _you_ gonna call _me_?" Charlie asked Serena flirtatiously.

Serena laughed and surveyed Charlie, who was wearing a faded grey Billabong tee and an obviously expensive label of jeans. He was always flirting with her and she never complained, because he was cute in that all-American-boy way, with scruffy sun-lightened hair, olive skin, and a wide mouth. "Maybe one day," she said coyly. Jeremy and Anthony looked beyond impressed.

Serena suddenly hopped up and tucked her hair behind her ears. "I'm gonna go do a Barney's run. I'll see you guys on Monday, okay?"

"I'll come with." Nate stood up too. "I need a new shirt."

"Cool, I'll help you choose one," Serena said perkily. She waved at the remaining three guys. "Bye!"

"See ya, Serena," they chorused. They reached up to slap hands with Nate instead of just simply saying goodbye then watched the two walk away.

Nate and Serena stepped out of the park and onto the sidewalk to make their way over to the closest Barney's, which was about three blocks away. "So. Blair couldn't stop talking about you today," she said lightly.

Nate chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh yeah? What'd she say?"

"Oh, just recounting every last detail of your hot-and-heavy kissing session last night," Serena teased. She pitched her voice to sound like Blair's and said, "'_Oh, and he was so sweet! He kept pushing my hair behind my ear and he kept making sure the pillow was behind my head at all times. I swear, he is such a gentleman-_"

"Oh, man." Nate laughed at her dead-on impression. "You definitely have to tell me every single thing she said about me. Do you think she _really_ thinks I'm a gentleman?"

"What about me?" Serena stopped walking and turned to face him.

"_What_ about you?" Nate asked, confused.

"Don't you want to know if _I _think you're a gentleman?"

Nate still looked puzzled but nodded. "Yeah, okay."

Serena tipped her head to the side, as if considering his gentlemanly qualities. "Well. It all comes down to if you steal the Barney's doorman's cap off his head, put it on yours, then hold the door open for me to walk in," she giggled giddily.

"You underestimate me, Serena." Nate started walking again, smiling.

"Race you there," she challenged. "Last one to the door buys the other a pair of La Perlas!" And she took off in her dirty white flip flops, her long hair flying out behind her like a golden flag.

"Cheater!" Nate yelled, running after her as she laughed manically. "I'm gonna get there first!"

But of course he'd let her win.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:__

"_Hey, you've reached my, uh, _Nate's_ phone. Leave a message and I'll get back to ya." Beeeeep._

"Hey, Nate. It's me again," Blair said into her Blackberry. "Where are you? Remember, my family made reservations at Le Bernardin for six thirty. Call me back."

Blair hung up and tossed her phone onto her bed before shoving her face into her pillow, slightly irritated. She'd called Nate three times and texted twice since the hour of three thirty and he hadn't picked up or texted back once. It was almost six o'clock and Blair was still in her waistcoat-detail dress from earlier on that day. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her face was still close to make-up-free. She flipped herself over and looked down at her toes, which were painted a fresh shade of _Ritzy_ by Napoleon. She wiggled them proudly then inspected her nails, which were painted the same russet-scarlet. She'd originally gone to get just a pedicure, but at last minute had decided to go all-out and just have a manicure too.

Sighing, Blair pushed herself up and stared blankly at her television screen, which was playing the Tiffany and Co. scene of _Breakfast at Tiffany's_, which was her all-time favorite movie. But Nate's MIA-ness had been distracting her from enjoying it. She glanced at her phone, which lay still and unblinking on her bed, then headed for her closet to slip into her pre-selected teal Alberta Ferretti dress and her limited-edition Chanel kitten heels with the open-toe so she could show off her nails.

Just as Blair was zipping herself up, her phone buzzed and started vibrating. She left the zipper halfway down her back and jumped onto her bed, grabbing it and pressing the green button. "Hello?"

"Hey." Nate's sweet, easy voice made Blair's earlier irritation fade away immediately. "I got your messages. I'll be at the restaurant on time."

"Thanks, baby," Blair cooed. "Where were you all day?"

Nate paused for a split second, which was enough to make Blair a teeny bit nervous of his answer. "Oh, I was just hanging with the guys at the park. Then Serena stopped by for a bit. I helped her do a Barney's run."

Blair's ear buzzed a little from that information. Nate and Serena went shopping at Barney's together? _That _was why he hadn't been answering his phone? She forced herself to calm down. Nate and Serena were just friends. Nate was _her_ boyfriend. And Serena was her _best_ friend. They would never do anything behind her back. _Don't worry about something that's not even real_, Blair told herself.

"Oh. That's nice." Even as Blair tried to coax herself that nothing was amiss, her voice came out a little clipped.

"Hey, are you okay?" Nate asked, concerned. "I won't be late, I swear."

Blair let out a small, quiet breath. "Yes, I know. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah, okay, I'm gonna get changed." Blair heard Nate shift his phone to his other ear. "I love you."

Hearing those three words spoken so sincerely, even through a phone, made all suspicions of Nate and Serena disappear. "I love you too," Blair answered.

"See you soon." _Click_.

Blair smiled to herself and reached behind her to continue zipping her dress up. Was there a boy in this world who could ever be as perfect as Nate?

Answer: no.

After putting her shoes on, applying make-up, and fixing her hair to look like she'd just let it tumble carelessly over her shoulders, Blair grabbed her phone and her small golden handbag-one of the most expensive purchases she'd ever made at Bendel's-and exited her room. She walked down the cream-coloured steps to the parlor, where her little brother Tyler sat, experimenting with unbuttoning his pale lavender shirt down to the point where it almost reached his bellybutton.

Blair rolled her eyes. Ever since Tyler had turned eleven, he'd been obsessed with trying to be a ladies' man, and had therefore emptied his closet of concert tees and ripped jeans, and had replaced it all with button-up shirts, polos, crisp Bermuda shorts, and clean, pressed jeans. Personally, Blair thought he looked a little gay, but every time she was out with her brother, little girls in too-short miniskirts showing off their skinny legs always looked at him with stars in their eyes, as if they'd never seen an eleven-year-old boy wear a polo shirt.

"Hey," Tyler said in the bored, deep tone Blair had heard him practicing once when she'd walked past his bedroom one night.

"Hey," Blair replied, going over and doing up two of them so that only the first and the collar button were popped.

"I liked it how it was before," Tyler complained, reaching to do it again.

"Don't." Blair stopped him with her hand. "You look like a little manwhore." She ignored the look on her brother's face that read '_that's the point_' and went to sit on the chaise next to his armchair, just as her Blackberry buzzed.

Blair whipped it out and saw the screen flashing _Serena _repeatedly. She contemplated not answering for a second but let her thumb connect with the call answer button out of the goodness of her own heart. "Hello?"

"Oh my God, Blair, I've just hailed a cab and realized I don't know which restaurant you booked at." Serena's end of the line was loud and static-y and Blair held the phone a few inches away from her ear, but not before giving herself mental check. Had she invited Serena to dinner with her family and Nate? She was almost absolutely certain she hadn't and asked to make sure.

"Oh, um, no, you didn't exactly." Serena sounded a little apologetic. "But my dinner plans with my mom fell through and Nate said that you guys were having dinner in the city so I thought I could maybe come along too." A cab driver yelled, "Where to, missy?" in the background and Serena replied, "Sorry, I'm just asking my friend where we're going!" The cab driver gave a half-hearted amused chuckle before Serena returned to the phone. "So yeah. Where are we going?"

"I never invited you to come." Blair's hand was shaking. "You can't just suddenly call Le Bernardin and ask to change the number of guests."

"Le Bernardin, please," Serena told the cabbie. Blair heard her slam the cab door and Serena said, "I'm _so_ sorry if I'm interfering, Blair, but I honestly thought you wouldn't mind. Come on, your family loves me."

Blair forced herself to be calm. It was just Serena coming to dinner, not some random Upper East Side skank who went to L'Ecole, the private girl's-only French school down the road from Constance Billard. "I guess we could pull up a chair."

Serena squealed. "Thanks so much, Blair. Oh, and don't worry, I'm totally wearing a dress. I figured you guys would be going somewhere fancy." She paused, as if waiting for Blair to comment, but when she didn't, ended the conversation by saying, "Well, I'll see you soon! Love you, 'bye!"

Blair stabbed her hang up button and tossed the phone into her bag. Tyler looked at his sister curiously. "Who was that?"

"Serena," Blair answered, the displeasure she was feeling showing in her voice. "She's coming to dinner with us."

"Cool." Tyler popped another button his shirt.

"Ready to go?" Eleanor Waldorf stood at the foot of the stairs, closely followed by Harold Waldorf. She was wearing a tasteful black dress whilst her husband wore a dark-blue button up and a silky white tie.

"Mom, Serena just called and asked if she could join us. Is that okay?" Blair stood up and looked at her mother, slightly wanting her to start screaming '_NO, IT IS NOT OKAY!_'.

"Of course it's okay!" Eleanor said delightedly, breezing over to the elevator. "Serena is always welcome. And maybe you two could tell us about this party you're planning!"

"Yeah, totally." Blair agreed half-heartedly, following her family to the elevator.

"I wonder what she's wearing," Eleanor said thoughtfully. "Probably one of Lily's old dresses. She did say she was dressed for the occasion, right, Blair?"

"Yes," Blair grumbled. Didn't her mother think that _her own daughter_ was dressed for the occasion? The dress looked fucking legend on her!

Tyler pulled out his iPhone and Blair saw him quickly type a text to one of his friends exclaiming that Serena van der Woodsen ('_da hottest gurl alive, in case u've 4gotten'_) was coming to dinner with him. Blair slapped his shoulder and gave him a stern look. Tyler shrugged her off and stepped into the elevator.

Harold looked at his daughter and smiled as he pressed the G button. "You look nice, Blair Bear."

Blair smiled at her father. "Thanks, daddy."

At least _someone_ liked her more than Serena.


End file.
